WATCH: Mark Murphy on the Value of Using a Travel Agent vs OTAs

Image: PHOTO: TravelPulse founder Mark Murphy on Fox 29 Philadelphia. (photo courtesy of travAlliancemedia)
Image: PHOTO: TravelPulse founder Mark Murphy on Fox 29 Philadelphia. (photo courtesy of travAlliancemedia)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 9:01 AM ET, Wed February 27, 2019

Finding the perfect travel agent is easier than you might think and pay off of doing so can be exponential. The benefits of working with a trusted advisor include saving money, time and headaches brought on by countless hours spent searching deals or a botched booking.

On Tuesday, travAlliancemedia president and CEO, Mark Murphy appeared on Fox 29 Philadelphia to shed additional light on the value of working with a travel agent and to share what he calls the "dirty little secret" about online booking sites.

"If you go to Expedia, you go to Travelocity and you go to Orbitz they are three different brands but the same company," he said. "What you want to do is bring someone who's impartial into the discussion. I would use a travel agent because you don't have the same leverage that the travel agent has."

Murphy also revealed his favorite quick and easy way to jumpstart an affordable vacation when you have flexibility.

"Just go on Google Flights and put in your origin city and the dates that you want to travel and then just click on 'explore destinations.'" What's really cool about this is that you can be spontaneous and then hand it over to the travel agent so they can deal with the airline, hotel and all of that other stuff," he added.

You can watch Murphy's appearance on Fox 29 Philadelphia in its entirety below:


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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